Life, knitting and sewing with a dash of vintage flair.

March 08, 2007

Wow! Working really takes a toll on knitting time doesn't it? Before I went back to work I was flying along on Rapunzel. Since returning to work a month ago, I've knit very little on it. I guess that's what happens when you have to sleep at night and not during the day. I think I need a job where I can watch TV and knit all day.

I do have a finished object to show off though. A little bit of train knitting I've worked in between my sock knitting woes.It's Bobble from Rowan 34. This was actually a bit of stash knitting with some Felted Tweed I had left over from the girls Harry Potter sweaters and a loose ball of Kid Silk Haze that I had floating around.

Before I show the next picture, may I please just state I know I am not a hat person. This is not news to me at all.My question to Rowan is who in the world has a head as small as the ones you write these patterns for? I added one extra pattern repeat to the hat due to the fact I have a very large noggin, and it was barely enough. I still don't think it's quite enough. I find myself wishing it was a bit longer. While it completely covers my new hair cut, it does not cover my ears completely. It's okay for most days, but on the coldest of days (like our weather around here recently) I still need to use my 180 ear wraps to keep warm. All in all it was a quick easy knit and it keeps my head warm. It's just a bit small.

Speaking of new haircuts may I just say how much I love my new haircut? I only changed by hair cut back in October to this:but I just couldn't get used to the bangs. I'd start the day with them hanging where they should, but not even half way into the day I'd have them pushed off my forehead. 5 months later the hair style wasn't growing on me, and I was convinced the style was aging me. I think this was all in my head as the friends I questioned told me I was nuts.

I went to the salon last week thinking I'd just bob it and even it out a bit. My hairdresser talked me into this modified bob.You can't even see the best part in this pictues which is how it angles up in the back. This might be the easierst hairstyle I've ever had. Really - even easier than my permed early 90's hair-dos. I love how it's shorter in the back and falls forward. This picture was taken after I got home from the salon, but so far I can actually make it look like this on my own. Easily too. People have actually stopped ans asked me about it. Amazing.

While out of work I became a bit obsessed with the X-Files. Okay, I got a bit re-obssessed with the X-Files which I hadn't really seen since it had gone off the air. I had found this quiz while searching for something else entirely about the show. These were my results.

March 01, 2007

Try though I might I have a real problem knitting socks. Maybe it's the endless rows of stockinette that drives me nuts, but I tend to lose interest relativly quickly. I think I need to try some kind of sock with a cable pattern or something.

This pair of socks has been taking me forever to knit.On the left is the original sock I had started knitting. It's the Step Above pattern, which I love, but I had several issues with how it was comming out. I had used the pattern before to knit one sock (still waitng for it's mate) and it had come out too small to fit over the ball of my wide, high instep feet. When I started knitting this one back in May while on vacation if Florida, I used the men's size of the pattern figuring it would come out fine for me. I didn't bother to check the sizing until I ran out of yarn, and had to buy another ball. When I tried it on the sock was huge. Turns out that in addition to knitting the larger size, I was unknowingly using the wrong - larger- needles.

I made the decision then that I also wasn't happy with how the color was turning out. The first sock I had made was in Lorna's Laces Sandridge colorway (check the photo album on my side bar for the pic) and the colors came out wonderfully blended. With the Knit Happens colorway all I was seeing was big old strips, and I wasn't overly impressed. I decieded to knit a regular sock instead - and knit if from the unfinished one so I wouldn't have to wind it up again first.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I feel like I should have made it longer - I have 3 balls of this colorway, plenty of yarn. It's just feeling a bit skimpy. I also am finding it hard to get the interest up to even pick it up. Most of what is in that picture I knit on the train going to the NYC Knit out back in October, and then up in Rhinebeck. Just not feeling the love.

Anyone any thoughts of a good pattern for Lorna's Laces sock yarn? I really want to find just the right project for this. I've also been comtemplating making hand warmers with it as well. I lost my beloved lime green Natalya mitts back in January. (Actually I know I left them in the dressing room at H&M. They weren't there when I went back and they hadn't been turned in. Someone is looking snazzy with my handknit gloves on.) I really could use a replacement as the weather starts warming up. Even now when I go out at lunch time it's a bit warm for regular gloves. I miss mine!